Markus Lindholm

The Nature Index : a general framework for synthesizing knowledge on the State of Biodiversity

The magnitude and urgency of the biodiversity crisis is widely recognized within scientific and political organizations. However, a lack of integrated measures for biodiversity has greatly constrained the national and international response to the biodiversity crisis. Thus, integrated biodiversity indexes will greatly facilitate information transfer from science toward other areas of human society. The Nature Index framework samples scientific information on biodiversity from a variety of sources, synthesizes this information, and then transmits it in a simplified form to environmental managers, policymakers, and the public. The Nature Index optimizes information use by incorporating expert judgment, monitoring-based estimates, and model-based estimates. The index relies on a network of scientific experts, each of whom is responsible for one or more biodiversity indicators. The resulting set of indicators is supposed to represent the best available knowledge on the state of biodiversity and ecosystems in any given area. The value of each indicator is scaled relative to a reference state, i.e., a predicted value assessed by each expert for a hypothetical undisturbed or sustainably managed ecosystem. Scaled indicator values can be aggregated or disaggregated over different axes representing spatiotemporal dimensions or thematic groups. A range of scaling models can be applied to allow for different ways of interpreting the reference states, e.g., optimal situations or minimum sustainable levels. Statistical testing for differences in space or time can be implemented using Monte-Carlo simulations. This study presents the Nature Index framework and details its implementation in Norway. The results suggest that the framework is a functional, efficient, and pragmatic approach for gathering and synthesizing scientific knowledge on the state of biodiversity in any marine or terrestrial ecosystem and has general applicability worldwide.

FOOD WEBS AND ENERGY FLUXES ON A SEASONAL FLOODPLAIN: THE INFLUENCE OF FLOOD SIZE

The world’s largest inland delta, located on the Okavango River in Botswana, faces major changes in the annual flooding size and duration due to climatic shifts and increased water use. We examined several parameters of a seasonal floodplain in the Okavango Delta during two years of contrasting flooding size. The small flood (2003) was characterized by high concentrations of total nutrients (2.5 mg N and 1 mg P L−1), high primary production (0.8 mg C m−3 d−1), and zooplankton biomass (30 mg DW L−1). Methane production and consumption was considerable and stable isotope analysis suggested that methane oxidation provided a significant input of C to the aquatic food web. The large flood (2004) was characterized by lower volume-specific productivity, lower concentrations of nutrients (1 mg N and 10 μg P L−1), lower primary production (45 mg C m−3 d−1), reduced zooplankton biomass (10 μg DW L−1), and low methane production. The density of fish (CPUE) was significantly higher for the large flood compared to the small one. The findings point to the overall importance of flooding size on primary and secondary production, as well as basic food web properties in the delta. Low floods mean higher volume-specific production at the base of the food web. Seasons of large and long lasting floods cause improved circulation and enhanced reproductive success for fish.

Methylmercury bioaccumulation in invertebrates of boreal streams in Norway: Effects of aqueous methylmercury and diet retention

Transfer of aqueous methylmercury (MeHg) to primary consumers in aquatic foodwebs is poorly understood despite its importance for bioaccumulation of MeHg. We studied bioaccumulation of MeHg in simple aquatic food chains of two humic boreal streams in relation to streamwater chemistry, food web characteristics and dietary fatty acid (FA) biomarkers. Transfer of aqueous MeHg into primary consumers was similar in both streams, resulting in higher MeHg in consumers in the MeHg-rich stream. Trophic enrichment of MeHg and dietary retention of FA biomarkers was the same in both streams, suggesting that exposure to aqueous MeHg at the base of the food chain determined levels of MeHg in biota. In addition, contents of dietary biomarkers suggested that ingestion of algae reduced MeHg bioaccumulation, while ingestion of bacteria stimulated MeHg uptake. Dietary uptake of bacteria could thus be an important pathway for MeHg-transfer at the bottom of food chains in humic streams.

Impact of rainfall on microbial contamination of surface water

Purpose – Increased annual precipitation and more frequent episodes with heavy precipitation are expected in Norway due to climate change. The purpose of this paper is to use two case studies to investigate effects of precipitation on the amounts of faecal indicator bacteria and parasitic protozoa (Cryptosporidium and Giardia) loaded to surface waters from catchment areas exposed to different faecal sources.Design/methodology/approach – In the first case study, the loads of faecal indicator bacteria and Cryptosporidium and Giardia, were investigated in relation to precipitation in a stream from a small valley where cattle and sheep are grazed. In the second case study, historical data (monthly values from 2004‐2009) regarding faecal coliforms and water flow in five tributaries (urban and rural) of a lake used as a drinking water source, were used for calculating loads of faecal indicator bacteria. These loads were evaluated in relation to historical data on precipitation. Additional sampling during/after ...

Competition and niche partitioning in a floodplain ecosystem : a cladoceran community squeezed between fish and invertebrate predation

ABSTRACT Seasonal floodplains occasionally comprise highly productive zooplankton communities which are exposed to rapid shifts in predator regimes, also between vertebrate and invertebrate predators. We recorded the impact of two co-occurring zooplankton predators, the notonectid Anisops sardea and 0+ fish fry of Tilapia rendalli (max gape size 1 mm), on a cladoceran community dominated by Ceriodaphnia reticulata (0.25–0.78 mm), Daphnia laevis (0.6–1.8 mm) and Scapholeberis kingi (0.27–0.8 mm). Both predators strongly reduced abundance of all prey species, yet with a striking size-selective effect for Daphnia prey only, where fish showed a strong preference for small individuals, while Anisops preferred large Daphnia individuals. This contrasts with the general view of size selection in invertebrate versus vertebrate predators, but is logically caused by the feeding mode of the notonectid, and the gape size limitation of the fish fry. The two predators also showed a dietary niche differentiation in terms of both prey selection and habitat choice. T. rendalli fed preferably on small species and size classes, whereas predation from A. sardea concentrated on large prey. Competitive interference was indicated when feeding on Ceriodaphnia, and niche partitioning when feeding on the two other species. The predatory pattern suggests long-lasting coexistence in the system.

Diversity, Dispersal and Disturbance: Cladoceran Species Composition in the Okavango Delta

Communities exposed to intermediate disturbances have been shown to be more diverse than more stable or unstable systems. We recorded the diversity pattern of zooplankton in the Okavango Delta, Botswana, a system which include water bodies with different stability with regard to water levels and wet-dry phases, from permanent rivers and lagoons to seasonal floodplains and temporary water-filled rain ponds. The yearly flood pulse caused a gradual shift in aquatic parameters on seasonal floodplains, which promoted zooplankton diversity. Species composition differed between temporal and permanent habitats, but highest diversity was recorded on floodplains. Diversity on floodplains showed a distinct seasonal trend, being low during increasing flood, to highly diverse during high water periods. Density and hatching sequence of major cladoceran species suggested that the bank of resting eggs in the soil is the major source of species occurrence during flooding. We propose that seasonal floodplains, which have significant higher diversity and abundance, serve as source areas for the cladoceran diversity in the Okavango Delta. From these habitats ephippia are dispersed into the other four habitats. The dominant vectors for such dispersal are probably wind and mammals.

The Influence of Littoral on Mercury Bioaccumulation in a Humic Lake

Concentration of methylmercury (MeHg) in different habitats and associated food chains may vary because of habitat characteristics that determine methylation and MeHg transfer. We examined MeHg levels in primary consumers from littoral, pelagial and profundal habitats of a boreal humic lake, and measured total mercury (TotHg) and MeHg in surface sediments at increasing depths. MeHg concentrations in primary consumers increased from profundal to littoral, a pattern which was mirrored by the surface sediment concentrations. Methylation potential (expressed as the ratio of MeHg to TotHg) was lower in profundal than in littoral sediments, suggesting that littoral sediments have higher net methylation rates. No specific MeHg-enriched entrance point in the littoral food chain was identified, however. High MeHg concentrations in littoral primary consumers and sediments suggest that shallow lake sediments are important for MeHg transfer to the aquatic food web in boreal humic lakes. Lake morphometry, most specifically the fraction of littoral, is hence likely to add to differences in MeHg bioaccumulation rates in lake food webs.

Morphologically Conservative but Physiologically Diverse: The Mode of Stasis in Anostraca (Crustacea: Branchiopoda)

The essay discusses whether biotic and abiotic environments differ in their ability to speed up or slow down morphological change and the generation of new lineages. Examples from the class Branchiopoda show that morphological conservatism is associated with enemy free space in species-poor habitats dominated by abiotic factors, while Red Queen mechanisms are predominant in larger systems with complex biotic interactions. Splitting of Branchiopod main lineages is associated with increased fish predation during the Devonian. The order Cladocera adapted and remained in larger aquatic systems, and subsequently generated a variety of new families, genera and species. The order Anostraca, on the other hand, maintained its ancestral morphology and survived only as “living fossils” in isolated ponds of harsh habitats. Despite their archaic morphology, however, they possess highly sophisticated adaptations to local physicochemical properties of their extreme environment. Hence, although morphologically conservative and possessing traits typical for “living fossils”, anostracan physiological abilities are closely adapted to the challenging and variable physicochemical conditions of ponds and ephemeral pools.